{"version":"2.1.288","anchor":"accessibility-announcement-hold-env-vars","canonical_anchor":"accessibility-announcement-hold-env-vars","heading":"New settings to hold and rewrite screen-reader announcements","tier":"use","area":"Accessibility","scope":"individual","heads_up":false,"url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.288\/e\/accessibility-announcement-hold-env-vars","release_url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.288","markdown":"### New settings to hold and rewrite screen-reader announcements\n\nTwo environment variables control holding screen-reader announcements, for up to 10 seconds, and rewriting held ones, which is off by default\n\n**Unclear.** Where these announcements are held, and whether another setting must also be on, is not shown.\n\n**What**\n\nClaude Code now reads two environment variables (settings you set in your shell before starting it) that affect screen-reader announcements, the messages a screen reader speaks aloud:\n\n- `CLAUDE_AX_REWRITE_HELD_ANNOUNCEMENT` turns on rewriting of a held announcement. It is off unless you set it.\n\n- `CLAUDE_AX_ANNOUNCEMENT_HOLD_MS` sets how long an announcement is held, in milliseconds. The default is 1000 (one second) and the maximum is 10000.\n\n**Why**\n\nScreen-reader users can opt in to this behaviour and choose how long announcements are held.\n\n- Area: Accessibility\n- Names: `CLAUDE_AX_ANNOUNCEMENT_HOLD_MS`, `CLAUDE_AX_REWRITE_HELD_ANNOUNCEMENT`\n- Tier: Use it now\n- Useful: 5\/5\n- Signal: 2\/5\n- Scope: individual\n- Heads-up: no"}